I was either gonna go into medicine or dentistry. And when I was 16, I decided to ask my dentist, Dr. Berman for a job. I worked with Dr. Berman from the summer when I was 16, all through high school, through college until I actually entered dental school. Working with him is probably what turned me around into doing dentistry as opposed to medicine.
I’m an Illinois girl all the way. I went to University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. I grew up in the Chicago public school system. So, I am a product of CBS and you can succeed there. I went to U of I in Urbana-Champaign, as I said, and I loved my experience there. I am an only child, and my dad passed away when I was 19 in college, so I knew that I’d always, like, stick around my mom. I applied to dental schools in the area and I was accepted at the University of Illinois in Chicago. And so that’s where I went to for my dental school. And I actually also ended up there for my residency as well. So, pediatric dentistry, dentistry, college, high school, all Illinois.
The thing that I love about pediatric dentistry is that I love to see the kids grow up. I love to see them turn around to meaning, like, you get a scared child, you get someone from, who was probably recommended for sedation or general anesthesia, who the parent comes to us asking, like, well, we don’t wanna do sedation, we don’t wanna do general anesthesia because there are some risks that go along with that. And then we’re able to turn them around.
Yeah, I’m not saying that they don’t cry. I’m not saying that they are, like, smiling the entire time, but I’m saying that we’re able to work through it and give the kid a little bit of accountability that they can do this, that you can do this. And it’s okay to cry because we all cry and that’s what we do when we’re a little bit scared and a little bit nervous. And, you know, so that’s the best part about being a dentist is to be able to provide the care and to be able to turn the kids around, and for a pediatric dentist, to watch them grow, like, into adults and graduate them through college. When they graduate from college, I always say, you got a job, you gotta get an adult dentist too. But that is a lot of fun.
And then for us being pediatric dentists, and even for general dentists, if you’re able to encourage kids to become dentists. So, currently, Dr. Kollmann and I have two patients, former patients that are entering dental school this fall, one at Marquette and one at University of Illinois. We have about two or three patients that are interested in dentistry currently right now, and one that’s interested in becoming a hygienist. So, for us, that’s, like, so exciting, right? To be able to give our passion to someone else.
Meet the Dentist
Dr. Cissy K. Furusho Loves Treating Children
Dr. Cissy K. Furusho received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and graduated with her DDS, her pediatric certificate, and her masters in oral biology from UIC College of Dentistry. She holds a certificate in orofacial myofunctional therapy. Dr. Furusho feels very fortunate to have found a wonderful partner in Dr. Kollmann and looks forward to being an important part of your children’s lives!
She is a clinical instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry. She is also actively involved in:
- The American Association of Women Dentists
- The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
- The American Dental Association
- The Chicago Dental Society
When she’s away from the office, Dr. Furusho enjoys riding her bicycle, baking, and spending time with her family.